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200K Miles, ONE Prius & ONE Owner

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by CBarr31, Jul 5, 2010.

  1. joe350gt

    joe350gt It's too windy here...

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    Hey Chris,

    Great reading on your post. My '05 hit 200K last nite. I bought the car new at the end of October 2005. I do alot of highway driving too!! I've had the usual fluid/filter changes done, put in a yellow top last October just because the original battery was 4 yrs. old and I wanted to change it when "I" wanted to!! I had a noisy front drivers side wheel bearing replaced this summer. I have a BT stiffening plate and a ScanGauge II as well. I'm on my 4th set of tires, the (lack of) Integritys!!, two sets of GY Assurance Comfortreds (about 45K 1st set, little over 60K I think on the 2nd set of 'em. Now I have Cooper CSR4's that have almost 50K on 'em and they look really good compared to all of the others as far as tread left.

    This car is awesome!!!

    Gonna go for a 300 now, never could get a 300 bowling, maybe driving I will!! LOL!!

    Regards,

    Joe
     
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  2. CBarr31

    CBarr31 Active Member

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    Well for everyone still following this thread here is an update on the "Cut In/Cut Out" issue, Patrick. I think the "reboot" with the new battery has made a difference but I also think that part of the noise I heard was from the compressor for the AC. It seems to be pretty loud as well but is operating properly.

    Now for the bad news or at least a word of caution to other high mileage Prii. If you are going to take the time and replace the inverter and heat storage pumps as preventative maintenance you probably should go ahead and do the water pump as well.

    I didn't and my ScanGuage spiked to 250 F, this morning and I got the Red Triangle but no other errors or codes were thrown. I looked at the inverter fluid and it was "turbulent" so it was working. I let Ema cool down and drove her a bit and the temp went up to 230 F. It followed the engine on/off so I knew it was engine related so I limped about 8 miles to the nearest Toyota Dealership.

    After some looking we found the dry pink fluid around the water pump indicitive of leaking. Then they put it up on the lift and found the inverter drain plug was actually "wet" meaning that enough fluid was leaking that it wouldn't dry. Of course low level of engine coolant cause high engine temps, LOL.

    There was a bunch of trash on the inverter drain plug so they are replacing the gasket, putting in a new water pump and new thermostat. Thermostat is ok but at 209,000 miles now why not replace it for $25?

    Anyway, Ema is on the lift as I type and should be done in the next hour or so. All in all not bad day but $400 is $400 to spend. I probably should have been proactive and replaced this pump when I did the others. Then again that wouldn't have made a difference with the "trash" on the plug gasket.

    Happy driving,
    Chris
     
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Chris,

    Did you look at the engine radiator overflow tank to see whether coolant was still visible? I am wondering whether the leak at the engine coolant pump was so bad that the cylinder head was actually empty of coolant, which allowed the engine temp sensor to show the high 250 degree F temp reading.

    <If this should happen to you in the future, I would advise you to refill the tank with the correct coolant or with water if necessary, to reduce the chance of engine damage when you drive the car to the dealership.>

    The leak at the "inverter drain plug" is a separate issue, unrelated to the engine overheating issue. It appears that whoever worked on your car previously did not properly torque that plug.

    What does the "trash" on the drain plug look like, and are you referring to the transaxle/inverter coolant drain plug or the transaxle ATF fluid drain plug?
     
  4. CBarr31

    CBarr31 Active Member

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    Patrick,

    I did not look at the radiator overflow reservoir until the Tech and I did here at the Dealership. I was worried about the Inverter and didn't think about the radiator overflow until we looked at it here, my bad. It did have fluid in it but was definately low. I limped in by keeping the temp under 230 F on the ScanGuage.

    "Trash" is what the Tech called the stuff on the gasket, which was there, just had stuff on it. I can ask but I think he meant small metal shaving, dirt, etc... I didn't ask if it was torqued but did ask about the gasket and it was there. Not sure if this is a crush gasket that should be replaced everytime or not?

    I had a P2601 error, I think - paperwork is at home, yesterday and we found the plug to the heat storage pump not connected. So I am wondering if after connecting that YESTERDAY, the exchanging of hot/cold fluid in the system moved this "trash" around. I need to remember to check the reservoir more often. I didn't notice any "puddle" under the car this morning but then again it may have been leaking slow for awhile and the air finally moved to an area that caused an issue.

    Still here anything you want me to ask the Tech?

    Chris
     
  5. gdbelden

    gdbelden Gator Hator

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    Wow, it would take me 16 1/2 years to get to 200,000 at my pace!
     
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  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Chris,

    I would like you to be clear regarding which of the two drain plugs on the transaxle you are referring to. It sounds like you are talking about the transaxle ATF drain plug, which has a small magnet on the tip that will attract ferrous particles.

    The transaxle/inverter coolant drain plug does not have anything on the tip so it would be quite unusual if you could actually see any debris on it.

    Regarding the connector to the coolant heat recovery pump being disconnected, that is yet another issue which is totally unrelated to the inverter coolant system. So far you have identified at least two workmanship errors that can be blamed upon whomever serviced the car last: this wiring harness connector, and the loose coolant drain plug.
     
  7. CBarr31

    CBarr31 Active Member

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    Patrick,

    Yeah, the workmanship issues are not making me happy. The plug not being connected to the heat storage pump is just poor attention. In partially defense the coolant drain plug has not been confirmed as "loose" just that it was leaking, LOL.

    The "Advisor" is the one that told me it was the Inverter Drain Plug so I need to ask the Tech directly. I am 99% sure it is not the ATF plug being referenced but will go ask the Tech now.

    I will advise.

    Chris
     
  8. CBarr31

    CBarr31 Active Member

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    Patrick,

    I just asked the Tech directly and I quote "The drain plug for the Inverter." was his response when I asked him which one was leaking and had "trash".

    From that response I deduce that air in the system was keeping the inverter coolant reservoir full?

    Next question or inquiry?

    Chris
     
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Well, if you saw the leak yourself, can you recall whether the drain plug had a 24 mm hex head (that is the coolant drain plug) or has a round head with a 10 mm hex indentation inside (that is the transaxle ATF drain plug)?

    Also, if the transaxle/inverter drain plug is the one with this alleged trash that came out, what is going to be done about it? Will the inverter coolant be drained and replaced?
     
  10. CBarr31

    CBarr31 Active Member

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    Patrick,

    I saw the leak around the water pump, dry pink buildup, I did not see the leak around the drain plug.

    The Tech did drain and refill the Inverter Coolant as well as the Engine Coolant. All kinds of empty Toyota SLLC jugs around the front of the car. I wasn't watching the entire time so am not sure how many total. I will check the bill when it comes :(

    Thanks for all you help. I really appreciate it!!!

    Chris
     
  11. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    OK. I believe that the engine coolant had been replaced previously when you had the coolant heat recovery pump changed? If so then you might not be charged for that coolant again, if the old coolant was reused.

    Otherwise, if the coolant was discarded and new coolant added, you should be charged for no more than 3 gallons of Toyota SLLC. ~6 US quarts are needed for the engine coolant system assuming it is totally drained including the CHRS canister. ~3 US quarts are needed for the transaxle/inverter coolant loop.
     
  12. CBarr31

    CBarr31 Active Member

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    Patrick,

    I was charged for a little over a gallon of SLLC. So I would guess that 3 quarts were used on the transaxle/inverter coolant loop and the rest was used along with the "old" (4,000 miles) to fill the engine coolant system.

    I ran Ema about 11 miles to home but will be heading to Tennessee on a 4 hour, 200 mile drive here shortly so will find out if she is ok or not. I will be stopping at my normal dealership along the way to discuss ... workmanship and attentiveness.

    Thanks again for all your help.

    Happy driving ... again,
    Chris
     
  13. CBarr31

    CBarr31 Active Member

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    Ema is at 299,100 now so I will be adding a 300K post in the next couple of weeks. There have been some maintenance costs between 200-300K of course but other than that not much has changed with her.

    The wife did leave a door open last week and drained my yellow top so I had to pull it and put it on a trickle charger for a couple of days but it seems to be working fine now. All and all a GREAT car!!! Will have the new 300K post up in the next couple of weeks.

    Happy driving,
    Chris
     
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  14. ewxlt66

    ewxlt66 Active Member

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    $6k in repairs/maintenance in 200k miles?! Amazing!

    Wow! I've owned my truck for 3yrs/45k miles and have already put in over $7k! :sick:
     
  15. lys

    lys AerodynamicMac

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    Perhaps a lot of time since last post, but...

    Any update after the 300k mark?
     
  16. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Amazing is his dedication to keep this car going in prime condition. A inspiration for others.
     
  17. CBarr31

    CBarr31 Active Member

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    I actually started an entirely new thread for Ema's 300K status, lol.

    300K Miles, One Prius/One Owner | PriusChat

    Chris
     
  18. opticell

    opticell Junior Member

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    CBarr, great story, I never gave my 2004 Prii a name, but if I summed up my 232,000 miles with a name it would be "Heavy Hauler". I haven't seen any clear entries on this thread for the 200k gang. I have driven 205K of the 232K on mine, I am the second owner, bought it used in 2005 with 29K on it. I posted on the 200K club, but like that this is Prius only. What do you think?
     
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  19. CBarr31

    CBarr31 Active Member

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    Opticell,

    Thanks for taking the time to read about Ema and commenting on my post. As you can see from the beginning of my post and my 3 paragraph rant I was a little "put off" with with 200,ooo mile sticky, lol. That is why I posted this alone and made a 300K post when Ema hit that mark. She is at 330K now, they grow up so fast, LOL.

    Happy driving,
    Chris
     
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  20. Kermitt

    Kermitt Junior Member

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    my god, this is such a nice thread!!! just to think i only got 49k on my cookie monster wjth all that live still ahead just make me really happy!! what color is ea by the way?